Aegri Somnia
by MistressMinako
Summary: Jack rests after his accident; spoilers for 5D26. YuuseixJack implied. Complete.


_This is the birth of our Satellite-native King!_

"...tell me your name."

"Jack!"

_The new King is Yuusei Fudou!_

"Blood pressure is dropping!"

"Yuusei..."

_King Jack Atlus' undefeated tale has been broken!_

"Atlus-sama!"

"We have no idea how long it could last..."

"Yuusei!" The other boy waited for him on a rocky outcropping, arms held out to him and laughing. He was soaked and the sand was wet under his feet as he ran.

"Jack." Rally glared at him in the fading light. He turned away from the other boy, his coat blown back by the wind.

"Yuusei!" The flames raced across the floor, blocking the door. The heat tore at his skin as he looked around. The building moaned and a great crash filled his ears as the floor collapsed beneath him; and suddenly he was caught up in silvery wings, cradled as the building fell all around him.

"Jack," Godwin gestured widely. He followed the man's gaze out over the city, _over the entire world._

"Yuusei!" He woke with a start, disoriented and gasping for air. Soft light filtered through the windows as he gripped the blankets suddenly covering him and glanced wildly about the room. Empty and filled with strange machines that made strange noises and showed him strange pictures and numbers. He stared at the wires snaking their way across the immaculate white sheets and he curiously parted his unfamiliar light blue robe to find the wires attached to his chest. The familiar appearance of his birthmark caught his attention in this alien world and his attention was drawn to the tubes stuck in his arm and hand. One was red and one was white. He tried following them but his efforts were forestalled. He raised his hand and was surprised when he felt the cool, refreshing touch of his collar replaced by something plastic and hard on the outside. He raised his hand further and felt more wires and bandages encircling his head.

"Jack." Yuusei stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the light spilling in from the hallway. He tried to speak but no sound came. Yuusei smiled and placed gloved hands on either side of his head and leaned over him. "Satellite is in danger." Warm fingers stroked his cheek and he closed his eyes. His touch, his smell, his very _presence_...it was all familiar. He looked up into Yuusei's face and smiled. Yuusei's face was smudged with oil; the other boy had clearly been working on his bike again. Yuusei leaned over and pressed their lips firmly together, insistent tongue slipping past his lips and stroking his tongue. He tried to return the kiss but found himself strangely devoid of energy. The kiss ended as suddenly as it began and he lay there for a moment with a strange tickle in his throat. His breath was uneven and tears welled up in his eyes. He pressed the bed sheet to his mouth as he coughed in a way that shook his entire form as his back was rubbed.

"Yuusei..." He spoke weakly and rolled onto his back again, searching the dark, empty room with his eyes, still unable to move his head much.

"Jack?" Yuusei was standing on the other side of the bed, his own helmet sitting in Yuusei's lap. He watched as the shadows behind Yuusei moved and pooled like liquid. "Jack...I already knew that you'd try to settle things with the same strategy."

"Yuusei...?" His brows came together in an expression of helpless confusion. Yuusei took his hand, the birthmark glowing faintly. Yuusei pressed his hand to his helmet and covered his hand with his own, guiding his fingers over the scraped and cracked surface.

"Jack, I'm here to help you rebuild your shattered soul." He closed his eyes, the memories of their last duel playing out in his mind.

"Yuusei?" The room was suddenly filled with a loud, flat tone. He opened his eyes and was blinded by the light that flooded his room. He covered his face and looked around to the best of his ability, "Yuusei, please...I need your help..."

"Jack." Yuusei seated himself on the bed, "you have to stay here a little while longer." The room was silent except for the sound of rain. A cool breeze blew through the room and twisted the paper strips hanging from the window.

"Yuusei," he glanced at his other arm which had been wrapped in cloth and hardened clay for some mysterious purpose. "What is this place? What's going on?"

"Jack..." Yuusei leaned over him again and smiled. "You don't have to carry the world anymore, that burden has been lifted from your shoulders. Rest and get better." Yuusei smiled that charming smile, the one he'd first fallen in love with.

"Yuusei, wait!" Yuusei turned around and walked away from him, the door closing silently behind him.

"Ja-ku," the familiar voice had a playful lilting tone and he turned back toward the window as a pair of hands grasped the frame. "You're being so loud again, my little King." A mess of white hair appeared and the man slowly pulled himself through the window and fell to the floor in a twisted, crumpled mess.

"...Kiryu." He stared with eyes wide as the other man got to his feet looking for all the world like a disjointed puppet. He gasped aloud when the other man gazed upon him with strange black eyes that glowed in the darkness.

"Ja-ku, the little Sun-King of Satellite," Kiryu brushed his gloved hands over his Mark. He looked up, grinning from ear to ear with eyes wide. "Time is out of joint, Ja-ku." He watched the other man warily. Kiryu lifted a hand and touched his face, gently stroking his cheek. He glanced toward the door for just a split second, hoping for Yuusei to return anytime. When he looked back, Kiryu was on top of him, the other man's body covering his own. He struggled and tried to push Kiryu off, but he was far too weak.

"Ja-ku had a little accident," Kiryu singsonged, still grinning. He gritted his teeth as the other man straddled him and pealed back the blankets covering his bruised and broken form. Kiryu traced the edges of his robe and stroked the wires attached to his chest. He gasped when he saw it, the Mark shining darkly on Kiryu's arm.

"So you noticed it then?" Kiryu's tone was suddenly somber, "A Dark Signer will never fall, he will come back as many times as he wishes." A bolt of lightning arced through the sky and he cried out involuntarily and turned away from the window, covering his head with his right arm as the cacophony of thunder shook the bed.

"Dark Signer...?" Kiryu looked up, grinning widely and clasped his right hand. Kiryu held his hand against his own cheek and gently stroked his Mark.

"Ja-ku, even your red Mark will be dyed a pitch black." Kiryu gasped and turned toward the window. "The Sun is burnt out, Ja-ku." He turned back, "your time as King is over."

"Atlus-sama!" He cried out weakly as the world dissolved before his eyes.

---

Parts of the dialouge from episode 26 are copied from Horoko's translation: tnkp [dot] twoday [dot] net/


End file.
